Leather Facts Leather Facts Leather Facts Leather Facts STOP... Before you make that leather furniture purchase, this is a must read "Buying Guide for Leather Furniture" PURE ANILINE Only the finest hides in the world fall in this category. Lovers of truly natural products are particular fond of these leathers. Through the years this type of leather develops a patina which adds to its value as a focal point in any room. Only 5% of the total » world hide supply fall in this category.-Only » A grade meet this criteria. FULL ANILINE Also, some of the finest hides in the world fall in this category. The only difference is a slightly lower selection of hides can be used here. A slight protective finish ( usually micropigments) is applied by roller or in the tannage to give the leather some » servicability SEMI ANILINE / ANILINE PLUS These leathers are processed a little more, first by aniline dying in large drums like the leathers above, but then also finished on top. Spray pigments of color are applied to the tops of the hides to even out the finish and camouflage natural occurring imperfections. These leathers are light resistant and scratch resistant and are easily cleaned.

The next 10 - 15% of the world wide hide supply. » B grade hides meet this criteria. CORRECTED GRAIN LEATHER The next 18% of hides fall into this category of leather. These leathers have more processing done like sanding, buffing. embossing and heavily pigmenting, to cover natural imperfections. Insect bites, barbed wire scrapes, horn scratches, etc,are removed to a uniform thickness by sanding before finishing. Top grain leather is from the top 3/64 of an inch or .9 mm to 1.5 mm of the outer grain of the leather hide. See » properties of leather and is the minimum recommended for furniture, not splits as shown in the cuts below. » "C" grade hides meet this criteria. The last 65% of the world hide supply is not suitable for upholstery, instead it is used for clothing, shoes, belts,handbags, industrial, and the automotive industry. TOP GRAIN LEATHER The most confusing term used in the furniture industry is the term " top grain'. It can be a contradiction because it often implies what it is not.

"Top grain", is the definition that is generally used when the grain is not genuine: when the real grain is sanded away and an imitation grain is stamped into the leather. When the genuine grain remains, the leather is called, "full grain," or " full top grain, " not simply" top grain." Webster dictionary offers nearly a hundred definitions for the word "top". They include: the highest point,the summit, the best, the upper-surface, the lid, the supreme, the choicest part, the cream, the pick. It also means to excel, to surpass, to dominate or to be superior to the rest. When one hears the term "top grain" it's reasonable to assume it's the best. But, if the real grain is gone, can that be true? If the real grain was removed and replaced by an imitation grain, the result is neither the best nor the uppermost. If you want the best, insist upon leather which retains the entire original grain. Insist upon receiving the full grain. Top grain is generally not the tops!

FULL GRAIN LEATHER Just as the grain , texture and markings of wood should reveal the nature of the tree from which it came, leather should display the natural markings and grain characteristics of the animal from which it was taken. The best upholstery leathers are clear,clean, and supple. They are also dyed through with transparent aniline dyes. The full natural grain is retained and they are called "full grain leather." Cheaper leather have the natural or genuine grain sanded away and an imitation grain pressed or embossed into the surface.They are stiff and "boardy" with a heavy coating of pigmentation to cover up imperfections and they look and feel much like plastic. The better the quality of hide or skin, the less it has to be treated. The natural grain variations should be exposed. One should see the "fat wrinkles" and the feel, or hand, should be supple and natural to the touch. So when choosing your leather, make sure it looks natural, smells good, and has a soft hand. Inspect your leather carefully. Make certain that it retains the full natural grain. Full grain leather - it is the tops! Hides selected for furniture are sliced to a uniform thickness on precision machines.

Only the surface (top grain) is used. The lower portions or splits are weaker, due to the elongated cell structure. Splits are subject to stretching and therefore provide an unstable base which results in cracking of topcoat finishes. The familiar "chamois" used in auto care is an example of split leather. These terms below are classified at the tannery level and are not grades of leathers used by manufacturers. For furniture manufacture grades, see individual companies for their leather grading structure. "This information listed here is a grading structure used at the tannery level and are not grades of leather used by manufacturers on their furniture. For the production of every kind of hides for furnishings, from the most prized to the most ordinary, hides from various countries and regions are used. Pig hides are also used in the furniture industry, but this sort of leather does not meet durability requirements or quality. The place of origin of raw hides can be divide into three groups. A. Hides from Southern Germany, Hides from Swiss pastures, Scandinavian Bull hides from Norway and Finland. Hides from Northern Italy. B. Hides from Northern Germany, English hides, Dutch hides, and North American US hides. C.

Australian Hides, African hides, South American hides, Hides from Asia. Raw Material Today we think of leather as a commodity, something that is pretty much the same everywhere. Not true.Leather for furniture comes mostly from cattle and no two hides are alike. Age, heredity, and the environment all influence the character of leather. Leather is the strongest most versatile natural resource. It should be understood that cattle leather is a byproduct of the meat industry, and are raised for beef consumption. Leather is a renewable resource, so it allows us to create valuable products out of what otherwise would be waste. The largest sources of cattle hides are the beef herds of North and South America. RAWHIDES Contain high amount (about 70%) of water and become hard and inflexible after drying. Can be easily attacked by bacteria and rot. They have to be kept refrigerated or the water removed by some means (not very useful for making into upholstery!) Are dirty with blood, dung, etc., sticking to it and contain hair and other materials which are not needed. For making into upholstery, the leather should be Dry and flexible Should have color, softness and other properties for the specific use. Tannery operations achieve the above changes.

Tanning makes the leather fiber resistant to bacterial attack. Nowadays, chrome tanning is the most popular method. The modern leather processing can be divided into three parts: Preparation of wet blue (chrome tanned leather) CHROME TANNING. Modification of the properties as needed in the final leather. Finishing on the surface. Most of the processes in 1 and 2 are done inside drums (or other vessels) as batch operations in water (orange colored in the text) and a few operations are carried out in special machines on individual hides/skins Preparation of wet blue (chrome tanned leather) The first job in the tannery is to give the hides a good wash, with water, some special detergents and some other chemicals. This is called Soaking Any loose flesh (remember, hides are taken from animals killed for meat!) sticking to the flesh side is scraped off by a knife (using a specially designed machine). This is called Fleshing. Unhairing removes the hair on the skin using certain chemicals, which can eat away the hair but not the hide fiber. The chemicals used to tan the hides and modify the color, softness and other properties should be able to penetrate into the fiber network.

The fiber network should be opened up and most other non-fibrous material removed. This is done in Liming. A process is used that requires a special soaking which uses alkali (lime) to increase the water entering the fiber network. Natural grease is also removed in this alkaline solution. Normally, for the production of upholstery leathers the hides are split in to two layers in a machine using flat knife. The primary purpose of this operation is to make the thickness of the hide uniform throughout. Originally the hide is thickest in the neck portion of the animal and thinnest at the belly portion. The top layer, which is stronger and of uniform thickness, is used for making upholstery leather. The bottom layer is of non-uniform thickness and processed for different uses. Then a series of adjustments in the acid/alkali balance (pH) of the hide is done before applying the chrome tanning salts. These operations are called Deliming and Pickling. Chrome tanning salts penetrate the hide and react chemically with the molecules, making the fiber network resistant to bacteria. Modification of the properties as needed in the final leather product.

The main properties modified here are: Leather Thickness Color Softness A number of other characters can be changed depending on the type of the leather being made by using specific chemicals. Thickness is reduced by a Shaving machine, which shaves some thickness off from the back of the hide to make it more uniform in thickness. After adjusting the pH balance, further chemical treatments are carried out. Retanning uses special plant material or synthetic material to modify a range of properties. Dyes used in dyeing, color the fibers of the leather. Specially prepared oils are used in fatliquoring to make the leather soft (the oils lubricate the fibers). Special requirements such as water proofing, flame proofing, solvent resistance etc. can be fulfilled at this stage. The leathers are stretched and flattened in Setting Machine and dried. After drying the leather is subjected to mechanical operations to make it soft, flat and tight. Either side can be modified by emery paper on a buffing machine. FINISHING ON THE SURFACE. A wide variety of finishing operations is carried out on the leather surface. The most common type is coating with colored mixes.

Also worth mentioning is buffing the leather surface with emery (sandpaper) to get a suede or nubuck surface (velvet like surface) and an application of oils and waxes to get a pull up effect. You can see the different types of finishing done on upholstery leathers in the section on types of leathers. Finishing modifies the surface color, gloss, and the final appearance of the leather. It also provides a protection to the surface from water, wear and abrasion. Leather Types Ways to identify ANILINE: For care and maintenance purposes check to see if the surface has been brushed (has a texture like velvet) or not. This is the point at which people have difficulty distinguishing NUBUCK from ANILINE. There are several ways you can identify an ANILINELeather: Lightly scratch the surface to see if it leaves a lighter color scratch mark. If it scratches to a lighter color, it is ANILINE. This is not the only test to do because some NUBUCKS will do this also. Wet your finger and lightly rub it into the Leather to see if it darkens. It should darken lightly, but dry invisibly.

"Pull-ups", are leathers that have a deep richness to them from fat liquors applied during the tanning process. These leathers have a unique characteristic, a "Pull-Up" effect when the leather is stretched it will tend to lighten up in that area but the color returns when heat is applied or friction from rubbing a cloth or your hand in that area. These leathers also tend to scratch easy but have an "Old World" effect or "Aged"look. Products recommended here included "Oleosa" and if the leather has a wax coat apply "Wax On" to replace this wax that is removed with fingernails from use. also called FINISHED,SEMI-ANILINE,EVERYDAY,PIGMENTED OR PAINTED. Ways to identify SEMI-ANILINE (PROTECTED): PROTECTEDLeathers are the most common Leathers, and for most consumers the most practical. Lightly scratch the surface to see if it leaves a lighter color scratch mark. If it does not scratch to a lighter color (this means the color remains the same), then this is a Protected Leather. Use SOFT CLEANER and clean the leather.

The cleaner should stay on top of the finish and should not darken the Leather. The surface should have some sort of sheen to it. It is like looking at wood that has a lacquer finish compared to a wipe-on treatment. NUBUCK:CLEANING CODE N also called CHAPS,DISTRESSED,BOMBER OR SUEDE. Ways to identify NUBUCK: The surface should have a texture similar to velvet. You move your hand across the surface and, if it leaves shading traces similar to the effect when you vacuum a carpet in one direction and then in another, it is Nubuck. Wet your finger and rub it lightly on the surface. The surface will darken and also will dry to a slightly darker shade. The Language Of Leather Full or Pure Aniline The finest leather available,always made from premium -quality, full-top grain hides(the suface of the hide has not been mechanically altered) The softest, most luxurious and natural looking leather More likely to fade and stain, will feature noticable range marks, barbed wire scars, wrinkles, scratches and brands. Unretouched, resulting in subtle color and shading differences from hide to hide and even within the same hide. Generally more expensive than other types of leather.

Top 5% of world hide supply Semi Aniline High quality. high value, always top grain Soft and beautiful;durable and practical Often coated with clear sealant to enhance stain resistance. Slightly more uniform in color and texture than full aniline. Fewer noticeable range marks because of top finishing. Generally less expensive than full aniline leather. Falls into top 10% of world hide supply. Nubuck Leather High quality,top grain leather buffed or sanded to a velvety, sueded like nap. More likely to fade or stain, will feature noticable range marks and barbed wire scratches,wrinkles,healed scars,manure burns. Usual the softest of leathers, more durable than a true suede that is produced from the lower quality split of leather. Falls into top 10-15% of world hide supply Generally less expensive than Semi Aniline leather. Pigmented Leather Least likely to fade or stain. Opaque dyes and pigments create uniform coloration that minimize natural marks and scars. Excellent durability with minimal maintenance. Falls into top 20-30% of world hide supply Generally less expensive than Nubuck leather.

Bonded Leather Least likely to fade or stain. Most economically priced. An artificial material composed of 10% to 20% leather fibers Excellent durability with minimal maintenance. Similiar to particle board or OSB board is to solid wood Description:↓ Bonded leather, or reconstituted leather, is usually derived from waste scraps from leather tanneries It consists of collagen fibers obtained from macerated hide pieces bonded together with latex binders or fabric fillers constructed into a fibrous mat to create a look and feel similar or sometimes identical to that of genuine leather but at a fraction of the cost . Depending on the quality a man-made pattern is usually discernible as a "grain-like" look. How to Make Leather (with Pictures) - wikiHow Prepping the Hide 1 Remove the skin from the flesh of an animal. [1] Skin the animal by setting it on it's back, on an incline when possible. Use a good hunting knife for skinning, and a gut hook knife to gut the animal. Begin by removing the sex organs. Slice the animal from the tail to the throat. Peel back the skin with your fingers or a knife. Split the sternum, spread the rib cage and remove the organs.

Flip the animal over and finish removing the hide. 2 Pull the flesh off the hide. Manufacturers use a mechanical fleshing machine to remove the flesh from the inside of the skin. Running the inside of the skin over the steel roller of the machine will eliminate any excess flesh. If you don't have access to a fleshing machine, you can purchase fleshing tools from a hunting store or taxidermy supply store. Drape the flesh over a large horizontal beam. Stand at the end of the beam and pin a small section of the hide to the end of the beam using your body weight. If you don't have a beam to use or don't want to construct one, you can simply spread the hide out on a tarp on the ground. [2] Place a large basin or bucket below your work area to catch the excess tissue and fats as they are scraped away. Scrap away all the subcutaneous materials with your fleshing tools. Remove the veins and membrane. Rotate the hide and work until the surface is complete. Do not leave the hide if you need to take a break as the material can dry out. After the hide has been fleshed, the end result should be a white, smooth surface. 3 Salt the skin.

Apply a generous layer of salt to the skin, or create a brine and soak the skin. [3] This will act as a preservative to keep the hide from decomposing. Fresh skins need to be salted or frozen within the first few hours, otherwise they may be destroyed. [4] Fold the hide in half so the flesh sides are together. Leave for 24 hours. Scrape away any remaining salt and repeat. [5] To create a brine, add one pound (.45kg) of salt per one gallon (3.8L) of water to create a solution. [6] Let the hide soak for 24 hours. 4 Soak the skin in water. Soaking will help remove any dirt or other materials from the skin. Fill a large 35 gallon (132L) or so container with fresh, cool water. Place the hide in the water for at least a day. The longer you let the hide soak, the easier it may make the hair removal process. 5 Remove the hair from the skin. This can be done chemically with a solution of calcium oxide (also known as slaked lime, whitewash, or calcium hydroxide) bath.

You can also use the same tools for dehairing that were used for fleshing. Remove all the hair and the epidermis, then hang the skin to dry. 6 Give the skin a final lime bath. Add one teaspoon (5mL) of calcium hydroxide per gallon (3.8L) of water to create limewater. [7] This bath is known as bating and will remove any inter-fiber substances and unnecessary proteins. It will also help to soften the skin and loosen any remaining hairs. Remove the skin from the lime bath and rinse it thoroughly until clean. Part 2 Tanning The Leather 1 Decide on a tanning process. This can be a one to four day process, depending on which method you choose. Perform a vegetable tannage. A vegetable tannage uses tannin extract, which occurs naturally in a variety of different tree barks like oak, chestnut, tanoak or hemlock. The tannin extract is mixed with water and placed in a rotating drum along with the animal skin. The rotation of the drum will evenly distribute the extract over the skin. This process takes about three to four days and produces a leather that is flexible and used for furniture or luggage.

Perform a mineral tannage. Mineral tannage uses a chemical called chromium sulphate. The chromium sulphate has to sufficiently soak into the animal skin to achieve proper tannage. This process takes around 24 hours to complete and produces a leather that is stretchable and used for garments and handbags. Tan a hide with brains. Brain tanning is a popular home method for tanning hides. [8] They say each animal has enough brains to tan it's own hide. So if you have the brain of the animal use that, or you can buy a brain from your local butcher. Combine with a pint (473mL) of water and blend it until it is smooth. Use a large pot to boil the mixture. Add the boiled brains to a large bucket or drum and add some water to cool it. Keep the water at a four-one ratio to the brain. Add the hide and massage the mixture into the skin thoroughly. Leave at room temperature for up to 24 hours. 2 Load the leathers into a large drum. You will need a large container to hold all your hides and the tanning agent.

Look for a container around 35-40 gallons (132-150L). 3 Add the tanning agent to the drum. The tannin which you select will displace the water and replace it will collagens from the chemicals or substances. You will need to let the leather soak from several hours to 6 days depending on which tanning method you select and the size and quantity of the hides. 4 Add any dyes to the container. Dyes are what can be used to give the leather a color other than the natural look. If you are going to dye all of your leather the same color, you can add the dye during the tanning process, or you can wait until after the tanning process. 5 Rinse the leather. The leather will need a thorough rinse after tanning. This will ensure any chemicals and dyes are removed. Use warm water and some mild soaps that contain natural ingredients. [9] 6 Dry the leather. After the skins have gone through the tannage process, they can be considered leather. Hang the leather out to dry. Hang the leather over rods in a cool, semi-moist area.

You can use a fan to help speed up the drying process, but leather should dry slowly so be patient. If the leather is not drying evenly, use some damp rags to remoisten the areas that are drying faster. Part 3 Finishing the Leather 1 Soften the leather. A machine called a staker can soften the leather by stretching it and lubricating it with natural oils. This process ensures the leather stays pliable. You can also hang the hide up from your ceiling and stretch the hide as much as you can in all different directions. You can use ropes and hooks to keep the hide taut. 2 Apply a leather softening oil. Once a hide is about 80% dry, apply the oil to the surface on the skin side. [10] Coat the entire surface evenly. Repeat several times through the drying process. 3 Smoke the hide. The hide is soft and pliable, but depending on your purpose you may want to smoke the hide to force the tannin into the fibers. Stitch the hide to form a bag and suspend the opening above a small smoky fire for several hours. Different kinds of wood can even add a natural color to your leather.

Aspen or cottonwood can create a golden leather. [11] Try different woods available in your area to see what different colors and looks you can create. 4 Apply a finish. The leather can be buffed or polished. You might choose to treat the leather with a coat of acrylic or polyurethane to make patent leather. [12] You can also emboss leather to create permanent shapes or designs in the fabric if desired. Finally, cut the leather based on the end user's specifications. Community Q&A Is it ethical to kill an animal for personal gain? wikiHow Contributor This is a surprisingly complex question with some nuanced answers. Some people, namely ethical vegans, would say that it's never even morally permissible to kill an animal. Many others would probably want to know what you mean by personal gain. If you're talking about killing animals for food, many people would be completely okay with it. If you're talking about making some kind of monetary gain, many would say it's highly unethical, and they would be supported in a lot of cases by anti-poaching law.

Updated: Views: 130,469 "I am thinking about producing animal leather to make nice furniture but I am not sure if I really wants to do this laborious process. Leather is plentiful in Nigeria but people prefer to eat it as a source of protein, even though it does not have any nutrition value. I will love to have some machines that can help me reduce the amount of labor needed to have a high quality leather (animal leather). Thanks for your advice."..." more - Michael Osho "Thank you for a great step-by-step. I work for a leather product company's website, so this was really helpful for understanding what they do. "..." more - B. J. This was good, especially the pictures and all. - Pragya Vaishanav How to Tool Leather (with Pictures) - wikiHow How to Tool Leather Four Parts: Choosing and Buying Leather Choosing and Using Tools Creating Your Piece Adding Finishing Touches Community Q&A Whether you're making a beautiful horse saddle for yourself or a custom belt for your boyfriend, tooling leather is a great craft that can be picked up by even the least crafty among us.

Tooling leather is the process of cutting into the leather to create shapes and designs. There are other leather crafting processes that often go hand-in-hand with tooling, however, such as leather stamping. If you're new to the leather world, this article will show you how to do all of the basics and get a beautiful finished product. Just get started with Step number one below! Steps Choosing and Buying Leather 1 Find a good place to buy leather. Common places to buy leather include Tandy Leather Factory and Springfield Leather Company. You can find physical stores in your area but there are also a number of online retailers. Of course, if you find another option that you like better, you can take that option! 2 Understand how good leather is sold. When looking at places to buy leather, you should look at how they are selling it. Good leather is usually bought by the square foot or by the piece. You can also buy scrap leather by the bag. If someone's selling you leather that doesn't seem right, be wary. 3 Look out for scars, bug bites, and brands.

Not only will scars, brands, and bites make your final product difficult to tool and look bad, they're also a sign that a leather vendor is supplying their leather from places that treat their cows terribly. You don't want to have any part in animals being abused, so buy your leather from good sources. 4 Start by buying cheap, beginner's leather. It is said that writers need to write a few hundred thousand words before any of the words are good. For leather working, you're going to have to do some bad work before you're ready to start doing good work, so you should not start by buying fancy leather. Buy scrap leather by the bag or any other cheap beginner's leather. You'll know when you're ready for something a little nicer! 5 Buy the right type of leather for tooling. For tooling, cow leather that has been vegetable tanned is the best option. Other leathers can be used for other details, but cow veg tan is your friend when it comes to tooling. You will want to avoid leather that is intended for furniture and leather that is textured. These are not suitable for tooling. 6 Choose the appropriate thickness for your project. Different projects will need leathers of different thicknesses.

Make sure you're getting the right thickness for what you want to do. Leather thickness is measured by the ounce. For tooling, 2-3 ounces is too thin. Start instead with 3-4 ounces and use thicker leather depending on your purposes. Weights translate to a standard range of millimeters. You may want to test the thickness of your leather pieces when you buy a new batch to make sure that you got what you paid for. Part 2 Choosing and Using Tools 1 Buy a starter tool set. There's no reason to go straight into professional, expensive tools. In fact: it's best to start off with a beginners set because everyone tools differently and what works for someone else may not work for you. You want to be able to experiment. Good starter sets can be bought at very reasonable prices from stores like Tandy, both online and locally. 2 Consider some modeling tools. Modeling tools, while technically designed for clay, can be extremely useful for leather crafting as well. Tools like a stylus are commonly used, as are tools like a modeling spoon. 3 Get a cutting board.

You should never cut your leather on scrap wood or any surface with a texture (and of course you don't want to cut on a surface you want to preserve), because the texture can be transferred to the leather and even make the leather more difficult to cut. You want to use a marble or granite cutting board. These can be purchased or you can ask a local contractor or granite supply company for scrap. A rubber mat underneath can dim some of the sound and keep your cutting board in place. 4 Get a mallet. A mallet is a universal tool that you will need for doing almost any style of tooling. You want to to use a poly mallet when you start learning to work with leather. Never use a metal mallet and avoid wood mallets (as they are delicate). Rawhide mallets are good but expensive, so if you want to experiment with these, wait until later. 5 Focus on the most important tools. If you have to buy tools individually, focus on buying the most basic, most useful tools. A stylus, a swivel knife, a modeling spoon, a beveler, a mallet, and a few basic stamps (often also called single-action tools) will get you through learning the craft.

6 Check to be sure that your tools are the best size for you. Tools come in a number of sizes and the standard sizes are usually for large, male hands. If you are younger or generally have smaller hands, getting smaller sized tools will make the tool significantly easier to use. 7 Understand the language of leather designs. Stamps and the traditional shapes of leather working tools almost have a unique language unto themselves. Most of the tools will have names that do not seem to make sense, but almost all of them refer to the traditional cowboy leather designs and the specific purpose those tools were meant to serve. Learning the names for the tools can be extremely useful, especially for understanding instructions that you find online and for finding the tools you need. 8 Don't feel constrained to standard usages. Tooling leather is just like traditional sculpting: there are lots of tools and everyone uses them in slightly different ways. You should not feel like just because you use a stamp to get one look when it's really for getting another, that you're somehow wrong. Whatever works for you and looks good is fine. Part 3 Creating Your Piece 1 Print your pattern. The easiest and cheapest way to make your pattern is to simply print it out at home on normal printer paper.

You can also trace the design onto wax or tracing paper. However, you should never use carbon paper or draw a design directly onto the leather. This is an optional step, as you can do your leather tooling freehand or by creating your own pattern. 2 Cut out your piece. Cut the leather into the size and shape of the final piece (a belt if you're making a belt, the side of a saddle, the long rectangle of a wallet, etc). Do not ever use scissors to cut this type of leather however. Scissors are only suitable for very thin, fabric-like leather. You should instead use a box cutter or x-acto knife. 3 Case the leather. Casing leather is just a fancy word for getting it wet, but that doesn't mean you should go straight for some water. Water is perfectly usable but a casing solution (which you can buy from leather stores and online) will help protect your leather from water stains. Just apply your liquid of choice over the surface area that you'll be working with, using a spray bottle or sponge. You don't want to soak or over-wet the leather, however. Apply the liquid in moderation. Generally you don't want to case a single area more than once.

If you need to stop working for awhile, wrap the leather in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. 4 Trace your design onto the leather. Wait until the leather starts to turn back to its original color and then start tracing your design. Simply align your pattern and then use a dull pencil or modeling stylus to "draw" over the design on the paper. You should not press hard. Lift up the paper and you will see that the casing allows the light pressure of your drawing to transfer the design temporarily onto the leather. 5 Cut your main lines into the leather using a swivel knife. With this temporary outline, you will want to cut the main lines of the design onto the leather. Hold the swivel knife like a pen you're clicking down the end of, with your pointer finger in the saddle and your thumb and middle finger on the barrel. Hold it so that the blade is straight up and down and place the back corner into the leather. Then, pull the blade towards you. Keep your wrist straight and turn the blade as necessary by moving your fingers on the barrel. The blade should always be pulled towards you, so you will have to adjust your leather accordingly.

It is a good idea to spend a lot of time practicing with the swivel knife on scrap leather before starting a serious project. This will help you learn how to move the blade to get the look you want. You can change the speed, pressure, and length of the stroke to get different looks. For example, a quick, short pull can create a whisker look. 6 Decide which areas will need to be raised or lowered. With your main lines cut into the leather, you'll want to decide which areas should be lower and which should be raised. You'll also want to think about which areas will need shading or texture. Planning this out ahead of time and mapping it on your sketch can be useful in creating a professional final look. 7 Bevel or emboss the edges to make your design pop. You can use tools like the modeling spoon to press down the edges on one side of the design or the other, in order to make it look raised or make it look embedded. Just make sure to stay consistent which which areas get raised or lowered! 8 Use your stamps to create designs and add shading or texture. Now you can pull out your stamps!

Place a stamping tool against your leather, so it is standing up vertically but resting evenly on the leather. Tap or double-tap the mallet down vertically against the top of the leather tool to imprint the design. Begin by using a scrap piece of leather until you realize how much pressure you must exert. The mallet should not be slammed down on the tool. When you use a stamp, the impression should not break the surface of the leather and create "walls" allowing you to see the sides. The tool should also be held loosely, so that it can bounce back up after being tapped. In your practice, aim to stamp the leather only once per placement on the leather. Some larger stamps may require two or more strikes of the mallet. In this case, line the stamp up again with the imprints you have already made and strike it again. 9 Weigh the leather down as necessary. Tooling, especially tooling large areas on leather, will make the leather warp. An easy way to combat warping is to weigh the piece down when you are done so that it dries in the appropriate shape. You don't need to use anything too heavy and be careful of placing anything with a texture onto the wet leather.

Part 4 Adding Finishing Touches 1 Bevel the edges of your leather. Use a bevel tool to cut the square off of the edge of your leather. This will keep the edges from rolling up over time. It is only necessary to bevel one side of the leather: the back side can remain flat. Pay special attention to any sharp corners on your leather piece. These will need to be beveled separately, creating a diagonal or cut corner. 2 Add finishes, dyes, or paint. With your edges beveled, you can move on to adding whatever finish is appropriate for your leather. You can use a resist to keep it a particular area clear of the finish or to reduce the coloring. Just be sure to always use gloves when using dyes or finishes....unless you like your hands a different color! Tandy sells excellent finishes in a variety of colors. To apply these, use a paper towel, wool dauber, or a natural or very old sponge (regular sponges contain a chemical that does not react well with the leather). You can also use dyes. There are dyes intended for leather, but some leathers can also be dyed with shoe polish! These should be applied in the same way as the finishes.

Acrylic paint thinned with water works on leather, if you'd prefer a painted look. Just use a normal paint brush to apply it. This works better for smaller, detailed sections than larger ones. 3 Smooth the edges. You'll want to smooth the beveled edges of your piece after dying it. You can use a special tool for this purpose but the cheaper option is to simply rub it with a paper towel or canvas cloth! This will make the edges look shiny and professional. 4 Punch holes for stitching. If you plan on doing any stitching, you'll want to add a stitching groove to keep your stitches from being worn down over time. There is a tool for this purpose called a stitch groover. Once you've cut a channel into your leather where the stitching will go, use a pricking iron or overstitch wheel to lightly mark where your individual stitches will go. This will help create an even, professional look. Finally, punch the individual holes you marked using a piercing awl. When buying an overstitch wheel or pricking iron, get a shorter one to start off with, as it will be more versatile and make it easier to turn corners.

When starting a new stitching line or having to otherwise pick up the overstitch wheel to start again, place the first spoke down in the hole of the last section of the line. This will keep the stitches even. 5 Add other details. Before sewing, you'll want to add any other finishing touches that you know you'll need, like adding snaps. Be aware, however, that adding things like snaps is difficult and requires its own separate set of tools. Once that's done, add your stitching and you're basically done. Rub the whole surface with a cloth to get a nice, smooth final look. 6 Add a clear finish if desired. As a final measure, you can add a clear final finish on after doing your stitching, if you want to. This is not necessary, however. Enjoy your new creation and don't forget to keep practicing! Community Q&A If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know. Video Tips You may choose to burnish the leather after you wet it but before you stamp it. It may hold the design better. You can find a "rub stick" at a hobby shop that will help you burnish the edges of your leather.

As you grow more experienced with leather tooling, you may want to begin using a beveled edge to create dimension in your design. You strike these tools in a direction, either slightly to the right or to left, instead of hitting the mallet directly on top of the tool. Invest in leather tooling instruction books, or check them out at the library, if you want to learn to do intricate designs. Practice with simple projects before getting started on harder ones. Warnings Do not use a metal mallet when tooling leather. It will apply too much pressure. A poly or rawhide mallet will exert the right amount of pressure against the tool. Things You'll Need

Question: What do we call a place where leather is prepared
Answer: A tannery